An Antarctic Ice Shelf Is Almost Gone

The Larsen B ice shelf in Antarctica began collapsing in 2002. It is about to vanish. Losing an ice shelf is easy for many to ignore because they are remote to most. The Larsen B remnant is 625 square miles by a quarter mile thick – and is merely the cork that has held back inland glaciers that are potentially much larger. An ice shelf supported by land, then collapsing into the sea is bad enough. It is probably just the beginning of a much greater volume reaching the sea and raising its level, an effect that won’t be remote.